The present development is a device that utilizes ground water to provide heating and cooling to residential and commercial buildings. The device comprises a heat pump used in combination with a deep well ground water source. The ground water serves as a source for minimum temperature when used for heating the building, and the heat can then be further supplemented by use of the heat pump. Further, the ground water serves as a source for maximum temperature when used for cooling the building, and the cooling can then be further supplemented by use of the heat pump. When the heat pump is used in combination with the ground water source, the overall efficiency of the heat pump system is improved and cost savings for the user are realized.
With the growing search for alternative energy sources, one area that seems to be overlooked is utilizing the thermal capacity from within the earth. In the past, systems were proposed for withdrawing geothermal heat from regions deep beneath the earth's surface using water as the heat-exchange medium. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,957,624 describes an air conditioning system that utilizes ground water for cooling and solar energy for heating. The '624 patent claims an air conditioning system wherein cool ground water from an underground reservoir is fed into a chamber and is used to alter the temperature of air passing through the chamber. In the summer, the temperature difference between the air and the water results in cooling of the air; in the winter, the temperature difference between the air and the water results in heating of the air. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,461,449, a heat pump at the earth's surface is supplied with water pumped through two pipes extending down a single bore deep well. The pipes respectively withdraw and return water at different temperatures from and to aquifers in geothermally heated regions within the earth.
However, the prior art does not teach or suggest packing the system to improve system efficiency by modifying the air temperature. The present development addresses the omissions of the prior art by providing a means whereby building air is cooled by coming into direct contact with cool ground water in a compact chamber using polyvinylchloride (PVC) packing. The resulting system maximizes heat transfer efficiency, conserves space and reduces the required ground water pumping power consumption without requiring expensive compression and expansion cycles of the traditional air conditioning systems.